Sprint Velocity Tracking
Agile metric measuring team output in story points per sprint, enabling predictable planning and continuous improvement through data-driven capacity assessment over multiple iterations.
Last updated: 2026-03-14 18:50
Overview
Sprint velocity measures the amount of work (typically story points) a team completes in a sprint, building predictability through historical averages for accurate planning.
Calculation
Velocity = Sum of story points for completed user stories in sprint
Average Velocity = Mean over last 3-7 sprints
Benefits
- Predictable capacity estimation
- Release date forecasting
- Team performance trends
- Realistic sprint planning
- Continuous improvement metrics
Best Practices
- Track 5-7 sprints for reliable average
- Use consistent story point scale
- Don't compare teams (different contexts)
- Focus on trend not absolute numbers
- Account for team changes and holidays
Common Pitfalls
- Using as performance metric
- Expecting constant increases
- Ignoring context changes
- Gaming the numbers
- Cross-team comparisons
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